Lib Dem leader wants to play a mulligan

A mulligan is a chance to replay a duff golf shot. It is usually given on the first drive on the first hole, when nerves are most likely to have affected your shot.

Lib Dem leadership hopeful Ming Campbell hopes to "reignite" he leadership....

REIGNITE!

It was never lit! Poor bloke, someone make him a cocoa and give him blanket.

Blog plug

Ranting Guttersnipe uses slightly stronger language than I would feel comfortable with, my Mum might be reading, but he does have good turn of phrase and seems to hit the nail on the head more often than not.

His target for today is John Reid, who seems to have ignored the advice that Michael Howard (the most successful Home Secretary for decades) gave him in an open letter recently. Rather than avoid cheap headline grabbing stunts and getting a grip of his department, as Michael suggested, John decided to get up early and look tough.

His Action Man antics may have just screwed up the whole case. I bet the civil servants are pleased.

I met John Reid, when he was Sec. of State for Defence, and he seemed a very down to earth guy. Please John, for the sake of the nation, don't turn into a tosser.

Optimistic Bromley Lib Dems

You have to hand it to the Lib Dems, they never let the facts get in the way of a good headline. After the Dunfermline by-election in February they came out with this gem of a headline:

Shock Lib Dem by-election victory pointer to Bromley in May
Their assumption was that an election win hundreds of miles away against a different party incumbent was a strong indicator of potential success in Kent. Genius!

They also claimed that "The Conservatives have made no advance under David Cameron's leadership" and the Liberal Democrat National Campaigns Officer, Duncan Borrowman, said: "The Lib Dem success, and the total failure of David Cameron to reverse Conservative fortunes is a pointer to massive advances by the Lib Dems in Bromley Council Elections in May."
I am sure there was an associated graph claiming that it was a two horse race.

And what was the result for the ascendant Lib Dems and the down at heal Tories? We gave them a stuffing, almost halving the number of Lib Dem councillors! Never mind, there is always Scotland.

Marriage is marriage, co-habiting is not

I feel that marriage is important and I am a big fan of it. This is for a whole range of reasons both emotional and practical. I know that many marriages do not work out and I know that not all married couples are happy, but I do feel that it provides one of the main building blocks for a stable and happy social framework.

There are so many correlations between marriage stability and high academic results, lower crime rates, lower drug usage rate etc. that I would defy anyone to argue that marriage is a bad thing.

Before I get rounded on and accused of being an "out of touch reactionary" I would like to remind you that I feel that marriage is such an important social stabiliser (as well as being an important expression of love) that I was fully supportive of the civil partnerships act.

The plans to give co-habiting partner the same rights as married couples in nonsensical. There are a number of compelling reasons why this should not be pushed through.

Firstly, it defies logic. The main argument seems to be that when non-married couples split up one party (usually the woman) may end up with nothing, if they were married she would have the legal right to financial support and that’s not fair!

That is like saying “the guy next door got money when his bike got nicked but I got nothing when mine was stolen. He had insurance, I didn’t. It’s not fair.” If you want the benefits that come with marriage, get married.

Secondly, there seems to be an argument that as gay couple now have legal rights it is only fair that those rights are extended further, to non married couples. My answer to this is that until the civil partnerships act gay couples had not vehicle for getting the financial security that married couples enjoyed. Heterosexual couples have always had the facility to get married.

Thirdly, there are so many practical hurdles it will make its application farcical. What about couples who live together but don’t have sex? Why a two-year cut off? Is it fair that a person who gives up everything to live with someone for a year and eleven months gets nothing when someone who has given up nothing but has lived with someone for ten years gets a financial award?

Fourthly, why clog up the statute book with legislation that serves no purpose? If a couple want to have that financial and legal recognition then they already have a legal vehicle for doing so, marriage. It need not be expensive, time consuming or religious. But it does already exist, it is clear and unambiguous and the legal framework surrounding it is already in place.

If people do not want to get married I understand and accept their descision, they have made a choice and should live with the consiquences of that choice both positive and negative.

I am keen to hear the counter arguments because I think that this issue is fairly cut and dried.

UPDATE- 1-6-6

Ex Blackheath councillor and thoughtful blogger Andrew Brown is an unmarried parent in a stable relationship. He has highlighted the main thrust of the proposals clearly and fairly and I will be interested to see what he has to say about this.

BTW Andrew was one of the better Labour councillors (not as good as a Conservative would have been, but there you go!). As a quick note to the voters of Britain; when you separate the wheat from the chaff, try to keep the wheat and throw away the chaff, not the other way around.

Blair and Prescott futures linked

Oh dear!

You need pools to teach swimming

I think that I have stepped through the looking glass!

The Amateur Swimming Association is running a series of pilot schemes designed to break down the barriers that prevent people from learning to swim. There are seven authorities taking part in the scheme and one of them is Lewisham.

LEWISHAM!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Our local authority will be focusing on black and minority ethnic participation in swimming. What is is that prevents black children from swimming?

In Lewisham the answer is easy, not enough swimming pools.

I never thought that I would link to a BNP site, but..........

This site says everything that I could ever say about why you should never, ever vote BNP. This guy is an elected representative!

Thanks to Bob Piper for the link

Can John Prescott play polo?

Would it be any better if John Prescott had been seen drinking bitter at a greyhound race, or a pigeon race or a rugby league match or other northern cliché?

It doesn’t matter a jot to me, I thought he was rubbish and a waste of taxpayer’s money long before the photo of him playing crocket hit the public domain. Labour backbenchers were deafening in the silence when Conservatives pointed out the Prescott was getting the same money and the same perks for a much, much smaller job. They came crawling out of the woodwork to condemn the man only after he was photographed acting like a Toff.

They seem happy for him to squander our money as long as he doesn’t betray his working class roots. While it is always nice to have people agree with you I do feel that his left wing critics should have echoed our arguments of two weeks ago rather than jumping on a bandwagon now.

UPDATE:

I have just recieved news that Prezza may already be looking at post Dept. PM options.

Conservative as chair of Lewisham council

Grove Park's Barrie Anderson was voted in as chair of council at the first full council meeting of this session. Barrie is very experienced and is clearly thought by all to be even-handed enough to make the appointment work.

Council meetings can get rather heated so I wish Barrie all the best.

Nasty and back stabbing?

Any idea that the Lib Dems are the nice party really has been dispelled. Their treatment of Charles Kennedy, lack of respect towards Eric Forth's family and now even loyal Lib Dem MPs are sticking the knife into poor old Ming.

Not a sport for softies

I used to play as a number 8 at Blackheath Rugby Club. I got a range of injuries over the years, a dislocated clavicle, a broken finger, twisted ankle, and a range of cuts and bruises. I chose to play the game and injuries were part of that choice.

I understand that steps must be taken to prevent unnecessary harm but we cannot avoid all danger in life, it would create a life not worth living. Rugby is a tough came, if you are a bit soft I recommend you play in the backs, if you are very soft indeed try football, or tiddly-winks (although those counters can take your eye out!).

Ellee's garden

You can come and do our garden if you like.

911 front page best of the century

I chose the Telegraph's front page for Sept 12th 2001 as the best of the century. It seems that I was far from being alone in this assessment.

It was bold, simple and effectice. The picture almost needed no headline at all and I am sure that the image used will form the basis of history questions in decades, if not centuries, to come.

Can Steve Bullock drink an entire gallon of milk in 37 seconds?

There is an interesting discussion on who should play Steve Bullock in his bio-pic. The top two options at the moment are Brian Blessed and Chuck Norris.

Steve, I know that you look at this site every now and then, who would you prefer?

A very sad story

As a parent, I find this story particularly sad.

There are lots of unanswered question relating to this, but the simple truth that shines through is that the feeling of loss does not diminish over time.

Does PMQs matter?

PMQs is a bit of pantomime. The idea is that opposition parties and backbenchers get to hold the Prime Minister to account; the reality is completely different.

Loyal Labour backbenchers ask planted questions which the PM answers with well prepared facts and figures. Labour rebels ask questions which try to steer the government back towards left wing policies, the PM dismisses these.

The leader of the opposition gets to ask six questions which the PM sidesteps and fails to answer. The leader of the Lib Dems gets to ask two questions and the PM sidesteps these too.

So what’s the point?

The point is that this is the only occasion where the leaders of the main two parties face each other and go head to head. The leader of the opposition asks questions on any topic and can set the political agenda for the next day or two.

It is also a good barometer as to the political health of the respective party leaders, when things are going well they come across with confidence and gusto. When things are going badly they don’t. Their respective backbenchers will either support or abandon their leaders vocally and the noise levels are a clear sign of how much support they enjoy.

The result of any one week’s clash indicates very little. Just like opinion polls they need to be looked at as part of a trend. As the Times says, the trend is that Tony Blair is slipping, David Cameron is getting stronger and the Lib Dems are nowhere.

As I said very much a barometer of the national political picture.

Funny searches - UPDATE

A little while back I posted some of the funnier searches that brought people to my site. None of mine even come close to being as off the wall as this one.

George Clooney as Gordon Brown?

Operation "Make Gordon seem less of a grumpy old goat" is in full swing. The new women article lays it on a little too think for anyone to take seriously.

The Arctic Monkeys for breakfast? Come off it.

It did get me thinking as to who would play me in any future James Cleverly bio-pic. Lets get the obvious ones out of the way first.

Gary Wilmott

Criag Charles

Hugo Chavez

If you can think of anyone more flattering let me know.

Not good enough by far

The Prime Minister was quizzed about the signed Hutton report today at PMQs by Robert Goodwill MP. The PM's response was: "I do not believe that any offence to anyone was intended."

No offence was intended. Well that is not bloody good enough.

If a speeding driver injuries or kills someone they cannot get off just by saying that "no harm was intended." While the intention may not have been there the offence most certainly was. I will be sending an email to the PM's office demanding that his wife and Alistair Campbell both make public apologies for their crass and heartless actions. I would encourage you to do likewise. He can be emailed here.

My message to him was:

Dear Sir.

I read with horror and disgust that Mrs Blair and Alistair Campbell signed a copy of the Hutton report which was then auctioned off to raise money for the Labour party. I am sure that I am not alone in feeling that this was an entirely inappropriate item to be auctioned, particularly in light of your officeÂ’s involvement in the leaking of Dr KellyÂ’s name to the media and his subsequent suicide.

Your pathetic half apology at PMQs today fell far short of the level of contrition that decency demands, I feel that your wife and former spokesman should at the very earliest opportunity make an apology both to Dr KellyÂ’s family and the nation as a
whole. Your wife and former colleagueÂ’s actions reflect badly on you and as the head of government on the whole nation.

I look forward to your speedy reply to this request.

James Cleverly

Pensions tax raid part II

When Labour came to power Britain’s pension provision was in a healthy state. Gordon Brown saw a pool of money, so he taxed it. That is what he does, taxes things.

This tax raid was partially responsible for the dramatic reduction in the UK’s pension provision. Well-done Gordon.

He has clearly not learned his lesson, the new pension proposals being promoted by John Hutton will have a very nasty additional stealth tax for anyone earning over £18,000 a year. Not content on taxing pensioners into poverty once he wants to do it again.

East Lewisham Conservative’s past Chairman (and now the Shadow Work and Pensions Secretary) Philip Hammond said: "This amounts to another stealth tax on middle income earners. Even someone on £18,000 will feel the bite of this stealth tax.”

Why does Gordon hate the hard working people in this country so much?

Mrs Blair's Hutton gaff - UPDATE

It seems that after promption from the blogging community the national papers are giving this appalling story a small degree of exposure.

Lib Dems show deep lack of respect for the deceased Eric Forth

There are a number of Lib Dems who I like, as individuals many Lib Dems are really nice people, but something seems to happen when they come together in numbers.

Like plutonium, they are fairly harmless in small quantities but once they reach critical mass they seem to mutate into an organisation I find quite unpalatable. An example of this is the undue haste with which their London team started to campaign in Bromley and Chislehurst.

Eric’s funeral has not even taken place and yet the Lib Dems have been sending out emails and encouraging their supporters to descend on Eric’s constituency. Ming Campbell has told them off (he seems to be doing that a lot recently) but I feel that a mild rebuke, from a leader on his way out, will make little difference.

Conservative MP calls Cherie to account

Conservative MP, Stewart Jackson, has called on the government to condemn the actions of Cherrie Blair in an early day motion. Well done.

The full text is as follows:

That this House notes that senior members of the Labour Party including hon.
Members and Government Ministers attended a party fundraising event last week at the Arts Club in Mayfair; further notes that a copy of the official report by
Lord Hutton into the death of Government scientist Dr David Kelly, signed by Ms
Cherie Booth QC, was auctioned for party funds raising £400; believes this
conduct to be in appalling bad taste, arrogant and crassly insensitive in
seeking to make money, albeit indirectly, through hawking, as a novelty item, an
official Government report into the death of a public servant; regrets the
distress caused to the family and friends of the late Dr Kelly; calls on the
Labour Party to apologise for such tasteless and offensive conduct and to donate
the money raised to an appropriate charity; and deprecates such conduct by hon.
Members.

Dear John

Michael Howard has written a letter to the new Home Secretary. It makes interesting reading.

Give respect, get respect

If you want respect you have to give respect

Libby Purves has an interesting piece in today’s Times. The farce over the Criminal Records Bureau not only shows what an administrative mess the Home Office is in but also the current attitude of the government. There is a deep lack of respect for the people of this country and it is manifesting itself in a whole range of areas.

I wrote a little while back about the government’s push to downgrade the standing of public sector professionals, I had assumed that this was purely to save money. I am increasingly thinking that there could be a deeper and even less palatable motive.

Taking power away from the people increases the power of central government and big government is the left’s desired end-state. Like a playground bully the government is chipping away it its victim’s self-belief, in this case the victim is the British people as a whole. And when individuals are no longer able to stand up for themselves the bullies will have won.

Blair et al. talk about the respect agenda but clearly don’t care about it; if they did they would have a little more respect for those they govern.

Labour’s sick auction

This must surely be the acme of callousness and poor judgement. A copy of the Hutton Report was auctioned at a Labour party fundraiser, it was signed by Alistair Campbell and Cherie Blair.
The wife of the Prime Minister is helping the Labour party make money out of the death of Dr David Kelly.

Dr Kelly took his life because of the pressure he was under. That pressure was imposed by the Prime Minister’s inner cabal and was brought on because Dr Kelly spoke out against the misuse of intelligence in the lead up to the war in Iraq.

Iain Dale has more detail on this.

Hypocrisy and ineptitude

Ming is useless as a party leader. Everyone agrees with that, even his own party president.

In the aftermath of his election as party leaders he completely failed to take advantage of his honeymoon period and his poor showing at PMQs started badly and has got worse. Poor delivery, factual errors and an inability to command the attention of the house have all contributed to the feeling that he is a lame duck.

None of this is new news, what is new is the appalling hypocrisy that he is displaying towards his critics from within the party.

He has given Simon Hughes a dressing down for saying that he needs to raise his game. This is the same Sir Ming Campbell who initiated the anti Kennedy coupe earlier this year by saying that CK needed to raise his game and failing to publicly supporting him. If you get to the top job by being disloyal you can’t really expect too much loyalty in return.

More troubles for the Home Office

I wonder if John Reid has read Hamlet. There is a line which sums up his situation rather well.

"When sorrows come they come not as single spies but as battalions".

I have always felt drawn to the home office, it is the department of state which interests me the most, after the last few weeks I think that Blair was right to put Reid in charge. He is a "big hitter" who is not afraid of being unpopular and is willing to shake things up and it is clear that the whole department needs a kick up the arse.

Seeing Labour in trouble is usually a pleasant experience but when their ineptitude endangers the lives of the British people the laughing has to stop. I genuinely hope that Reid gets a grip.

Video tribute to Eric Forth

Hat-tip Biased BBC

Grove Park councilor

Another one.

The shiny new councilor for Grove park has started a blog. Pay her a visit, leave a comment and make help make her site a success.

Go on, you know you want to.

More lies from the Home Office?

Back in April I asked if the Home office was the most incompetent government department in history. I am now forced to ask if it is the most dishonest.

It seems that the illegal workers were not caught on their first day as was first claimed but had, in some cases, worked there for years.

I like John Reid and I think he is one of the more credible Labour ministers but when he described himself as the "current Home Secretary" at his Home Office welcome party he might have been closer to the truth than he realised.

25,000 fewer police officers

It will be very interesting to see how John Reid spins his way out of this headline.

The centralisation of police forces always sounded like a bad idea to me, I was worried that in an effort to save money the police would be drawn even further away from the communities they serve. It never occurred to me that the whole process would cost so much money that police jobs would be put at risk.

The idea that police officers would be replaced with community wardens follows a worrying trend. Fewer doctors and more pressure put on nurses, who are cheaper. Fewer regular soldiers and more pressure put on the TA, who are cheaper. Fewer teachers and more pressure put on classroom assistants, who are cheaper. And now fewer police officers and more pressure put on community support officers, who are cheaper.

It is clear that this government does not value the work done by public sector professionals; there is a consistent attempt to undermine them, corral them and replace them with cheaper and less skilled people. At the same time the government brings out mountains of guidelines, best practice documents and targets to completely remove any autonomy that they once had.

The answer is simple, recruit and train good people, pay them properly, give them a goal and then lot them get on with it. They may just surprise you and excel.

Poverty increases under Labour

I wrote here about the list of failures that Labour have admitted to. It now seems that one failure that Tony and Gordon have not said "mea culpa" to is their failure to help the poorest in society.

It seems that they were so tied up in forging a legacy, grabbing the headlines and demonising the Conservatives that they forgot to sort out some of the things that really mattered.

Shame.

Pulling Power

I am lucky, Susie is interested in politics but not fanatically so, she helps me keep politics in perspective. I like not having politics dominate every aspect of my life.

If you prefer to have politics interwoven into everything that you do it might be hard for you to find the right person. Luckily there is now a dating site specifically for political wonks.

Pulling Power (geddit?) has recently hit the web, best of luck to them.

Shameless plug

I have a small contribution in this book so I would like everyone to buy a copy. It is as simple as that. You can follow the link on the right.

Eric Forth dies

Eric was the MP for our neighbouring constituency of Bromley and Chislehurst and died yesterday.

He was taken ill last week and upon seeking medical attention was found to have bone cancer.

I had the chance to meet Eric and his wife Carroll when he came to speak at an event that I was hosting. He was a passionate and entertaining speaker; he stayed and chatted with our guests for much longer than politeness required.

He loved Parliament and had an encyclopaedic knowledge of how it operated, whether as a minister, shadow minister, committee member or as a backbencher Eric had presence. His sharp wit was matched only by his “unique” dress sense.

I am deeply saddened to hear of his passing and my thoughts are with his family, particularly with Carroll who was so supportive of him.

Statue for Lewisham

There are calls for Lewisham to recognise one of its famous residents with a statue.

The Lewisham Local History Society feels that the proposed redevelopment of Lewisham town centre would provide the perfect opportunity to recognise one of Lewisham’s sons. Being born in India, Spike is also a metaphor for all the ethnic diversity that Lewisham has.

Lewisham seems to be missing out on the art front. The pile of rocks at the end of the High Street is a bit of a let down; I preferred the sumo wrestlers. The history of Lewisham mural is hidden at the back of the shopping centre and the clock tower while emblematic of the town isn't art.

I think that a nice big bronze would go down rather well and Spike Milligan has such an interesting face. I, for one, would give this my full support.

Lewisham doctor puts Tony Blair under pressure

Lambeth councilor and Lewisham Hospital doctor, Dr Neeraj Patil, asked a difficult question of Tony Blair. And Tony fluffed it.

When asked "Is the Prime Minister about to destroy the NHS?" Mr Blair replied "I hope not".

Not "no"

not "don't be silly"

not "absolutely not"

not "never".

He said "I hope not".

Is this man so tied up in thoughts of leadership that he no longer gives a serious thought to running the country? I hope not.

Retro is soooooo cool

SMEG fridges are a modern day 50s icon, the success of the new beetle and new mini is based very much on the fact that they are incarnations of classics.

And anyone who has read this blog for any time will know that I am totally smitten with the new range of Triumph Bonnevilles.

Flares were the fashion item of choice a few seasons ago and mini skirts are de rigueur this season, but the ultimate summer retro fashion accessory?

A stand pipe.

A really nice story

I hope he gets the job.

Catford murderer gets life

I am glad to see that the murderer of Rochelle Holness has been sentenced to life.

This is the saddest story to affect my local area for some time and although this can in no way make things better for her family or friends at least this man is no longer at large.

Support for TA soldiers

I am very happy that there is going to be more support for TA soldiers returning from operations. The regular army is set up to support soldiers after stressful deployments like those in Iraq and Afghanistan, the communal living and support services all help keep soldiers on the right path when they come home.

The TA is not able to offer this safety net. TA soldiers do not live together and when a TA soldier returns from ops they are put back into a civilian world which does not understand, and in some cases does not care about what they have gone through. They do not have a big group of other soldiers living nearby to turn to for support, there do not have that group safety net.

For a long time the biggest “elephants in the room” in the MOD was the huge reliance that has been placed on the UK reserve forces. It looks as though this is being addressed, unfortunately it may be too late for some.

Tell us something we don’t know

Today Tony Blair has made a number of admissions as part of his series of “Lets talk” events. These meetings are designed to give the impression of Labour connecting with real people; with hand picked audiences and carefully stage-managed they are good for the cameras and little else.

There is a long tradition of fake listening events, remember the “Big Conversation”? Remember the quote after the 2005 General Election, “We have listened and we have learned”?

The only thing that sticks out about these events is that Tony is holding his hands up to the failures of his administration. He has admitted that he has failed in the single most important role of government, keeping its people safe. He has also admitted to failing the most needy in society, and he is watching over the biggest collapse in the NHS since its birth in the 1940s.
We have been saying this for ages, yet a few days ago he was saying that we were wrong about these failures. Was he lying then?

Tory defects to the BNP

I don't want to be criticised for not commenting on negative stories about the Conservatives so I will let you know my thoughts on this story.

I am surprised for a number of reasons. Firstly that this person was a man of the cloth, I can't reconcile the BNPs message with that of the church. Secondly, this man was a politics teacher and until recently a member of Lincolnshire Council for Racial Equality.

He claims to be leaving because of the A list, I think that is probably an excuse. As successful at the A list may hope to be there will still be plenty of white men on the green benches of Westminster.

The fact that he was a Conservative councilor is clearly an embarrassment but if the current party direction drives out a few people who hold these views then so be it. I have met racists and bigots right across the political spectrum, thankfully few in number.

Water ban

This is unlikely to be the only water use restriction that we see this summer. It is also no surprise that the first area to be hit is the South East of England, the very same area that John Prescott wants to smother in new houses.

What will the drink John? What will they use for flushing their waste away?

I still find it amazing that none of these things seem to enter into his planning.

A night under canvas

Last night Susie, the boys and I all went camping. We weren’t too intrepid we only went to the end of the garden.

It was still a pretty tough night, it rained, obviously. The boys didn’t settle, obviously. I woke up with a bad back, obviously. We all loved it, obviously.

Committees and cabinet

There has been a degree of discussion both on this site and elsewhere about Cllr Barrie Anderson and offers made in relation to positions on the Lewisham cabinet. I have not been fully involved in these but I will comment on what I know.

It seems that Steve Bullock asked a number of people from across the political spectrum to sit in the cabinet. Most dismissed the offer out of hand. Barrie wanted to see what concessions could be obtained in return for a Conservative presence on the cabinet e.g. veto over council tax rises and a halt to the closure of Ladywell pool.

There was some disagreement within the Conservative group as to the best way to move forward. A seat on the cabinet could help to reign in the worst excesses of the Labour Mayor but it could be seen as propping up the very Labour administration that voters had so recently rejected.

The comments already made on this site (clearly by people closely linked to Lewisham council) show how quick some are to turn any kind of discussion or disagreement into a pseudo scandal. This is Lewisham not Watergate.

Barrie has decline Steve Bullocks kind offer. The Conservatives will continue to hold the Mayor and cabinet to account from the backbenches.

Lib Dems review leader's perfomance

The Lib Dems are reviewing Ming Campbell's performance at PMQs. They needn't bother; I can review his recent performances for them in one word.

Rubbish.

It is quite clear that the young guns in the Lib Dems are looking beyond this term and hoping to keep their party together long enough to inherit it.

Best British front page

The BBC is hosting a competition to find the most iconic newspaper front page. Some classics are there the Sun's "Gotcha" and "Freddy Starr ate my hamster", the Telegraph's "War on America" and the Mail's "Murderers".

People's ages will have a big influence on whether the moon landing is more significant than the 9/11 attacks but I don't imagine that the "Mrs Pankhurst Arrested" Mirror headline from 1914 or the "Dunkirk" headline from the Daily Sketch of 1940 will have as much resonance as the more modern entries.

Our own contribution to the list is Jonathan Aitkin’s fall from grace. I have to admit that whenever I watch his "Sword of truth" speech I am amazed that he didn't get sent down just for being pompous.

For what it's worth my vote goes to the Telegraph. The attack on the twin towers will, unfortunately, be seen as a historical tipping point and the image and headline encapsulate it completely.

Create your own Dan Brown novel

Here is a little bit of fun, I have to confess that I quite enjoyed The Da Vinci code, although I did guess who the big baddy was fairly early on.

Just keep hitting refresh to get a whole new novel.

A big thank you to Adam for this link.

Ladywell pool still at risk

Steve Bullock is defiant. Despite getting a very rough time in the council elections last week and despite losing all three councillors in the Ladywell ward, he is going ahead with plans to demolish Ladywell pool.

This is a great shame because the Save Ladywell Pool campaign put in a lot of effort and time building a compelling case against this course of action. The fight is, however, far from over, as I said in my campaign I will keep working on this project until the bulldozers are literally tearing the building down.

Conservative A list

David Cameron made a commitment to increase the number of women Conservative MPs, an issue which took top billing in his acceptance speech. The Conservative A list (or priority list, to give it its proper name) is a bold step towards making this happen. As a bloke I know that it may put me at a bit of a disadvantage, that's nothing new.

I have had a look down the list of names that is in the public domain so far and there are a number that I know, all of them well deserve to be on the list. A particular well done to Angie Bray, a member of the Greater London Assembly, who helped me expose a very misleading Labour letter during the general election campaign, George Freeman, Ali Miraj, Julia Manning and Lewisham's own David Gold.

I think we are going to have a very strong set of candidates going into the next general election.

And am I on the list? Answers on a postcard please. ;-)

In your back yard but not in my back yard

Ruth Kelly has been in her new job for less than a week and has managed to screw up already.

Not content with tying herself in knots over her lack of commitment to gay equality (as the Equalities Minister) she now shows a level of hypocrisy which is quite beyond belief.

Having told us all that opposition to high density housing is wrong it comes to light that she has opposed high density housing in her own constituency.

Is it just me or does something smell a little foul?

Funny searches

People come to my site from a range of places and a variety of links. I put a link on my emails and people often link from the main Conservative site, lots come from the comments that I make on other blogs and obviously a large number come via search engines.

Many of these searches are fairly obvious James Cleverly, Lewisham Conservatives, Lewisham Mayor etc.

Some of the searches are “off the wall” to say the least. Here are a few of the more unusual.

dominic grieve nappy
the nicest people in the world
convert 244 miles to kilometers
chinese brownhill road
safety activities for children
fly muck
battle of otranto straights
mohammed start the crusades
"muslim army" france

Forest Hill Society

I am a big fan of community groups, when they work well they can improve an area and the lives of the people living there enormously. In fact support for community groups was one of the main pillars of my election manifesto.

The latest (as far as I am aware) group to be set up is the Forest Hill Society. The area already has two vibrant community forums (SE23.com and Forest Hill Online) and judging by the volume of ideas on these the society is in fertile ground.

I wish you them the best of luck.

Naughty naughty

I took this photo during the election campaign. The car in question was parked on the, clearly visible, yellow line and three traffic wardens got out and started checking the cars in the parking bays.

The biggest irony was that the photo was taken right outside Lewisham police station.

Labour civil war

I want to float above the current difficulties of the Labour party, but I can’t. I would like to write about what is going on from an objective dispassionate point of view, but I can’t. I would like to believe that Labour are still in a fit state to run the country, but I can’t.

It is now clear that the glue that once held the various factions within Labour has failed and the in fighting will continue until they are out of office. I know this because I watched the Conservative party do it in the 1990s. The big difference between us then and Labour now was that we managed to bring the economy back on track and win a war in the Middle East at the same time.

What I would like is for Tony to step down, for Gordon to take his place and for it all to be done soon. This will give the British people a decent amount of time to see just how bad a Prime Minister Brown will be. He is a fully paid up member of the “Centralize and control, tax and spend” club and even normally loyal Blair allies are now saying that they have had enough of Labours power grab.

I just hope the country isn’t completely screwed by the time we are asked to sort things out.

Weekend with my family

This is the first weekend in, I can’t remember how long, that I have done nothing political. No knocking on doors, no delivering leaflets, no public meetings, nothing.

I loved it.

I have spent the whole weekend with my family, playing football in the garden with Freddy and Rupert, staying up late and drinking wine with Susie and visiting my in-laws. This lull will not last very long; I have a London Conservative group meeting on Monday. It will be a very upbeat event.

The bigger picture

They say that a week is a long time in politics but what about a morning. Tony Blair has had a shocking result and so has Ming the Clueless. We all knew that Labour was in for a bit of a tough night but this was worse than they thought, on the BBC last night John Reid said that the Conservatives couldn’t claim that it was a good result until we had got over 40% of the vote. This figure was clearly chosen because the Labour camp couldn’t believe that we would get to it. We did.

Labour has lost around 270 council seats and far from being evenly spread between the parties most have come to the Conservatives. This is particularly bad news for the Lib Dems because in punches a hole right through their claim to be the real opposition. Sir Ming told Radio 4’s Today program “There is no doubt that our results have been mixed but I am not in any way down-hearted by these results” which can be translated as “There is no doubt that our results have been poor and I am very down-hearted by these results”

The reshuffle followed. Rearranging deckchairs?

Lewisham’s new political landscape

The eagle eyed amongst you will have noticed that this site is not festooned with bunting and “Well Done James” banners, neither is the campaign office. That is because I didn’t win the election for Mayor of Lewisham.

All together…. Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh.

The election was tighter this time than last time and Chris Maines, the Lib Dem, candidate snuck past me into second place. I wonder if, in four years time, this will be used on a graph to suggest that it is “a two horse race” and that “the Tories can’t win here”? I have a funny feeling that it just might. Interestingly when the Lib Dems were in third place they had a graph saying that it is “a two horse race” and that “the Tories can’t win here”. Deja vous?

By the time of the next elections the people of Lewisham will have seen the Lib Dems in action and will do what the voters in Bromley have done, kick them out. The Bromley Lib Dems have gone from 35 seats down to 7 in the space of two elections. Bromley voters clearly know something we don’t.

Labour has had a very, very bad night. The deputy Mayor and a number of other cabinet members have lost their seats, this puts Steve Bullock in a very difficult position. The brightest local Labour brains are now kicking tin cans in the park, with a few exceptions those that are left will struggle to keep on top of cabinet posts.

The greens have done very well, picking up 5 seats from Labour. This pleases me no end, I have met a lot of the Green candidates and they strike me as genuinely nice people. Their influence on the council should help push our recycling rates up and hopefully the Conservatives on the council will help them do it without breaking the bank.

We added another councillor to our ranks; Hillary Downes is the new councillor for Grove Park and will join two of the hardest working councillors in the borough Barrie Anderson and David Britton. She is clever and hard working, definitely one to watch.

At last there is some political diversity in the borough, ranging from the left wing Socialist Alternative, through the left wing Greens, the left wing Labour party and then the Conservatives.

Mayor of Lewisham Election Results 2006

Thank you to everyone who supported me and voted for me yesterday.

I hope that even though I was not successful in becoming Mayor of Lewisham I have planted some ideas that will improve the lives of people in Lewisham.

I will still be writing this blog and I am still keen for you to contribute, I will write my thoughts about the local and national results once I have had a bit of rest, a 23 hour working day takes its toll.

Thanks again.

James

Lewisham elections 4th May 2006

The Conservative candidates across the borough have attended meetings, delivered leaflets and spoken with local residents. Clearly the borough of Lewisham is a big place and we haven’t been able to speak to as many people as we would have liked.

The message that we are getting back loud and clear is that people have had enough of Labour and they are looking for an alternative.

Increasingly people are looking to the Conservatives to provide that alternative.

We came second in the mayoral election in Lewisham last time and we are best placed to replace Labour in the town hall and make a positive change in Lewisham.

Up and down the country Conservative run councils have shown that they are cleaner, greener and safer. By efficient use of your money Conservative councils are able to provide top class public services with lower tax bills than either Labour or the Lib Dems. This is why we are the largest party in local government and are set to win a number of additional councils this time.

As you can see from this site I was born, educated and brought up locally and I am passionate about working with individuals, faith groups, community groups, charities and commercial organisations to make Lewisham great for everyone who lives, works and learns here.

Please help me make Lewisham the best borough in London by voting Conservative both for me as mayor and for your local councillors.

Thank you


James

Little Red Book of New Labour Sleaze

Iain Dale is publishing a book on the top 100 New Labour scandals since 1997. It should be an interesting read.

What is worrying is that this is the TOP 100. 100 in nine years, that is almost one a month.

I will post the details of how to buy this book on this site once their are announced.

UPDATE: 03-05-06

I have written the article on the propositioning of Oona King
Copies can be secured at http://www.politicos.co.uk/item.jsp?ID=5678

Is the Today Programme losing the plot

In the week of major local elections, with hundreds of released prisoners at large, with the Health Secretary in denial, with the hypocrisy of the Deputy Prime Minister exposed, with dope found at the home of the Defence Secretary and with the Margaret Hodge talking up the BNP John Humphries asks David Cameron about the size of the panniers on his bike.

There are big stories, small stories and non stories. You decide.